The first weekend in December was met with cooler temperatures and enough fun and merriment to fill Santa’s sack. You’d never know our community is located in Cypress, Texas, instead of the North Pole!
Saturday, December 7 brought day-long activities and fun for the whole family. The day began in Dragonfly Park with Cookies, Coats and Claus. The new event was free to residents and created by the HOA. It gave families an opportunity to enjoy some holiday treats along with some Grinch-themed games while waiting for their turn to sit with Santa for a photo.
While children were able to share their wish list with Santa, attendees were encouraged to bring a new or gently used coat to donate to One Warm Coat, a national non-profit that distributes the collected coats to those in need within the communities where they are collected.
Bridgeland regularly engages residents to invest in the community-at-large through many events during the year. After Thanksgiving, the HOA established an Angel Tree where residents could choose a “child-angel” to provide gifts for Christmas to help make a difference in that child’s life.
The excitement continued Saturday evening when 20,000 pounds of snow “fell” at Parkland Snow Night, turning the model home park into a winter wonderland that had kids sleigh riding well past sunset. This free event was sponsored by The Howard Hughes Corporation and offered area families a chance to enjoy the thrill of sledding down a cold and slippery slope. Santa made an appearance here, too, and was available for more photo ops. Another special treat was the Pope Elementary Choir who delighted everyone by singing seasonal favorites. Inside the model homes, children were able to warm up by sipping some hot chocolate, send last minute requests to the North Pole, and many other festive activities sponsored by the homebuilders.
Christmas in the Park took place in Festival Park on Sunday, December 8 and offered another opportunity for Bridgeland residents to participate in some classic holiday pastimes, such as gingerbread house decorating and other crafts, train rides, and a bunny hill for sledding, plus an additional 12 foot sledding hill for those more adventurous.
On Sunday, The Christmas Holiday Farmers Market Bazaar was held at Lakeland Village Center with over 30 local vendors offering original gifts, stocking stuffers, activities for the kids and farm-fresh produce.
The busy weekend brought Santa and the holiday spirit to Bridgeland, and for a short while, with all that snow, had us feeling like we lived a little farther north.